Published: Tuesday, September 2, 2014 at 1:39 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 9:02 a.m.

Sgt. Jeff Lirette and the entire Houma Police Department are mourning the loss of his partner against crime, a K-9 cop named Rex.

“He was part of my family and he was my partner,” Lirette said Tuesday. “I spent more time with him than any other officer. He was truly my best friend.”

The department will hold a public memorial service for the 6-year-old Belgian Malinois and German shepherd mix at 1 p.m. Friday at the Houma Municipal Auditorium, 880 Verret St.

Rex was found dead in his kennel last Wednesday, police chief Todd Duplantis said. A veterinarian determined the dog died from gastric torsion, known as bloat. The condition is caused when a dog's stomach fills with air, fluid or food, putting pressure on other organs and decreasing blood flow to them.

“Rex was a very important part of the police department and visited every school in the parish,” Duplantis said. “He was a devoted, loyal and dedicated partner and will be truly missed by his fellow officers.”

No one will miss him more than Lirette, who has lived with Rex since Terrebonne Sheriff Jerry Larpenter donated the dog to Houma Police in 2011.

“He was special,” Lirette said. “He did a lot of things that other police dogs don't do. He had a great attitude and knew when it was time to work and when it was time to just be a dog.”

Rex's biggest bust occurred a couple of years ago when he found a package containing 5.5 pounds of marijuana being shipped to Louisiana from California among thousands of other packages, Lirette said.

“He went inside the Fed-Ex building while that one package was mixed in with thousands of other packages. He was able to pick it out and alert on it so we could seize it,” he said.

Rex also served as the department's mascot in the community.

“A lot of people see police work as chasing the bad guy and throwing him in jail, but that's a small part of what we do,” Lirette said. “The biggest part is connecting with the community; Rex was able to do that. Rex went into schools and did demonstrations for the younger kids about the dangers of drugs. Rex was a huge tool for us; he bridged the gap between the Police Department and the community. I think that's where we're going to miss him the most.”

Rex's death leaves Houma Police with one K-9, a 2-year-old German shepherd mix named Falko.

Staff Writer Jordan Gribble can be reached at 857-2208 or jordan.gribble@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGrib_Courier.

<p>Sgt. Jeff Lirette and the entire Houma Police Department are mourning the loss of his partner against crime, a K-9 cop named Rex.</p><p>“He was part of my family and he was my partner,” Lirette said Tuesday. “I spent more time with him than any other officer. He was truly my best friend.”</p><p>The department will hold a public memorial service for the 6-year-old Belgian Malinois and German shepherd mix at 1 p.m. Friday at the Houma Municipal Auditorium, 880 Verret St.</p><p>Rex was found dead in his kennel last Wednesday, police chief Todd Duplantis said. A veterinarian determined the dog died from gastric torsion, known as bloat. The condition is caused when a dog's stomach fills with air, fluid or food, putting pressure on other organs and decreasing blood flow to them.</p><p>“Rex was a very important part of the police department and visited every school in the parish,” Duplantis said. “He was a devoted, loyal and dedicated partner and will be truly missed by his fellow officers.”</p><p>No one will miss him more than Lirette, who has lived with Rex since Terrebonne Sheriff Jerry Larpenter donated the dog to Houma Police in 2011.</p><p>“He was special,” Lirette said. “He did a lot of things that other police dogs don't do. He had a great attitude and knew when it was time to work and when it was time to just be a dog.”</p><p>Rex's biggest bust occurred a couple of years ago when he found a package containing 5.5 pounds of marijuana being shipped to Louisiana from California among thousands of other packages, Lirette said.</p><p>“He went inside the Fed-Ex building while that one package was mixed in with thousands of other packages. He was able to pick it out and alert on it so we could seize it,” he said.</p><p>Rex also served as the department's mascot in the community.</p><p>“A lot of people see police work as chasing the bad guy and throwing him in jail, but that's a small part of what we do,” Lirette said. “The biggest part is connecting with the community; Rex was able to do that. Rex went into schools and did demonstrations for the younger kids about the dangers of drugs. Rex was a huge tool for us; he bridged the gap between the Police Department and the community. I think that's where we're going to miss him the most.”</p><p>Rex's death leaves Houma Police with one K-9, a 2-year-old German shepherd mix named Falko.</p><p><i>Staff Writer Jordan Gribble can be reached at 857-2208 or jordan.gribble@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGrib_Courier. </i></p>